"Satellites are wonderful for use over the oceans. They're sometimes the only thing we have," said Kate Musgrave with the Cooperative Institute for Research in the Atmosphere.

The team says there are benefits to having a landlocked research center during a storm.

"What we always say is, well, we're not going to be hit by a hurricane and we're not going to be taken down," Musgrave said.

The scientists say Florence in many ways resembles Hurricane Harvey. Both are slow-moving storms, which means the potential for enormous amounts of rain.

Models in Colorado predict more than 20 inches will fall in North Carolina.

"Harvey had in excess of 50 inches of rain in some places. It's forecast to move faster than Harvey did at this point, so as long as it gets ahead of the area you shouldn't see those types of totals," said Musgrave.

Only time will tell how much rain will actually fall, but the scientists at CSU will be watching, helping create forecasts that could save lives.